The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who have already stepped up to repair the world after recent criminal, anti-Semitic acts in Greater Philadelphia. To date, Jewish Federation staff and volunteers have completed a major spring cleanup of Mount Carmel Cemetery and begun the mapping and inventory of each stone.

Additionally, the Jewish Federation fielded calls from almost 100 families around the country who need help determining the condition of their family members’ stones, and raised $220,928 from 2,984 gifts to support the cleanup, repair and security costs at Mount Carmel Cemetery, as well as the Jewish community’s growing security needs.

Now, the Jewish Federation is looking for additional volunteers to keep this momentum going:

10 to 15 people are needed to type up the mapping and inventory data collected at Mount Carmel Cemetery a few hours per week at home, plus participate in a weekly online team meeting. To volunteer, please email Addie Klein, director of community engagement, at [email protected]

Five volunteers are needed to come to the Jewish Federation offices to call people who have inquired about their family members’ graves. To volunteer, please email Addie at [email protected]

To extend this same care to other historic cemeteries requiring similar cleanups, volunteers are needed to spruce up Har Nebo, just a mile from Mount Carmel. Volunteer dates: Sunday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Monday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 12 to 2 p.m. This cleanup will be in cooperation with Repair The World. RSVPs are strongly encouraged. To register yourself, visit jewishphilly.org/HarNebo; to register a group, contact [email protected]

These ongoing community-wide efforts are establishing the groundwork to accomplish even more in the future at Mount Carmel Cemetery. The fencing at the cemetery will be repaired soon. A rabbinic advisory group will oversee the restoration of stones, scheduled to begin late March in cooperation with the National Park Service, an expert in cemetery restoration and a growing group of skilled volunteers and a community of preservationists. Additionally, a rededication of the cemetery is being planned for the High Holidays.